The Honorable Duncan L. Hunter
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COMMITTEE PRINT 111th Congress No. 2 A Ceremony Unveiling the Portrait of THE HONORABLE DUNCAN L. HUNTER A Representative in Congress from the Fifty-Second District of California January 3, 1981 - January 3, 2009 Elected to Ninety-Seventh Congress and Succeeding Congresses Chair of the Committee on Armed Services PROCEEDINGS before the COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES U.S. House of Representatives September 15, 2009 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 2009 52–668 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0001 A Ceremony Unveiling the Portrait of THE HONORABLE DUNCAN L. HUNTER COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday, September 15, 2009 [ iii ] THE PORTRAIT The portrait of Mr. Hunter was rendered by artist Mark Martensen in oil on a stretched canvas. It measures 48 inches high by 36 inches wide and is framed in a 6-inch bronze/gold painted frame. [iv] BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Congressman Duncan Hunter represented San Diego County in the House of Representatives for 28 years. He was first elected in 1980. A Vietnam veteran, he served in the 173rd Airborne and 75th Army Rangers. Hunter utilized the G.I. Bill to attend Western State Univer- sity Law School in San Diego and, while completing his degree, he sup- plemented his income by working in farming and construction. After graduating, he opened a storefront legal office where he served many in the Hispanic community, often without compensation. In 1980, he was asked to mount a challenge for the Congressional seat held by an 18-year incumbent, Lionel Van Deerlin. Despite the district having a 2- to-1 Democrat registration, Hunter won the seat in an upset. Coming to Washington, the new Congressman immediately sought a seat on the House Armed Services Committee where he could work on America’s national security needs. Hunter became Chairman of the full committee in 2002. As Chairman, Hunter oversaw a $500 billion de- fense budget and focused his efforts on providing America’s men and women in uniform the necessary resources to win our Nation’s military conflicts and developing modernization initiatives that will move new and more effective technologies into the field of battle. Hunter also has made securing the California-Mexico border a top priority. Congressman Hunter worked tirelessly to ensure that the re- gion is safe for communities on both sides of the border and to put a stop to illegal immigration and drug trafficking. His provision to ex- tend the San Diego Fence for 700 miles across Arizona, New Mexico and Texas was signed into law in 2006. Congressman Hunter’s other legislative priorities included retaining and increasing jobs in the 52nd District and across this Nation, pro- viding tax relief to hard-working families and keeping our promises to America’s veterans. [v] REPRESENTATIVE DUNCAN L. HUNTER Member of Congress 1981 - 2008 On America’s Manufacturing Base, January 2007: America’s Arsenal of Democracy is reflected in the thousands of fac- tories, plants and businesses that make domestic products in peace- time, but can be called on to make military equipment in a time of war. Three times in the last century we saved the world for freedom: WWI, WWII and the Cold War. In World War II, our manufacturing base made more than: 100,000 tanks; 2.4. million vehicles; 36 billion yards of cloth; 3 million rifles; 41 billion rounds of ammunition; and 41,000 artillery pieces. The Arsenal of Democracy carried Eisenhower’s forces to Berlin and paved the way for the Marines in the Pacific as they pushed the Japanese back to their mainland. This great arsenal, our industrial base, was important to collapsing the Soviet Empire and the Berlin Wall because it provided the strength in Ronald Reagan’s stand against the forces of evil. On the Goodness of America, January 2007: Millions of Americans help across our nation and across our globe. To our international critics I say: When you had floods the Americans were there. Asking for nothing, taking nothing, only helping. When you had fires and earthquakes and tsunamis, the Americans were there. When you had disease Americans brought medicine, when you were hungry, the Americans brought food. When you were attacked, Ameri- cans left the safety of their homes to defend you. Sometimes the Amer- icans came under their government, but many times they just came be- cause of the goodness of their hearts. America is great because Amer- ica is good. [ vii ] THE ARTIST Mark Martensen An admiration for the simple life, old-fashioned values and the spirit of adventure are what ignited Mark Martensen’s interest in painting his vision of the Wild West. Born and raised in San Diego, California, Mark’s appreciation of the old west’s traditions developed artistically at an early age. ‘‘I gave my grandmother everything I painted as a child,’’ he said, ‘‘recently she gave it all back, and I was amazed that even then all I seemed to paint were cowboys and horses.’’ Self-taught as an artist, Mark’s California roots led him first to producing a variety of artwork. Painting professionally since 1986, his highly acclaimed works have pro- gressed from a photo real style to a looser, more painterly style that has captured the attention of many collectors in both the United States and abroad. At his first juried show, as a virtual unknown, he took both first place and honorable mention. Since that time, Mark has had many one-man shows, participated in many group shows and received numerous awards. His paintings are exhibited all through the south- west and he is currently expanding his territory to include other re- gions. Mark feels his art speaks for itself, and his passion for this pe- riod in American history is exemplified in his work. With imagination, brushstrokes and the molding of clay, he is able to reincarnate the spir- it of another time. Mark enjoys spending time with his wife and best friend Kerry, daughter Shannon and son Ian. With their support and belief in him, he realizes anything is possible. [ix] SPECIAL APPRECIATION American Maritime Officers AT&T BAE Systems, San Diego Mr. & Mrs. Douglas Barnhart Mr. Bruce Bartlett Mr. Charles Blum Mr. & Mrs. Ron Bonaguidi Colt Defense Cubic Corporation Mr. John Dressendorfer DRS Mr. & Mrs. Anthony DuPont General Atomics General Dynamics Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Hodge Mr. Samuel Kahn Metals Service Center Institute Mr. Roger Millikin Mr. Chris Norch Pacific Ship General Terry Paul Port of San Diego Ship Repair Association Seafarers International Union Trex Enterprises [xi] P R O G R A M 2118 Rayburn House Office Building, 6:30 P.M., September 15, 2009 MASTER OF CEREMONIES: General Terry Paul INVOCATION: General Randy West REMARKS: The Honorable Trent Franks Member, Committee on Armed Services The Honorable Ike Skelton Chairman, Committee on Armed Services The Honorable John A. Boehner House Republican Leader The Honorable Duncan D. Hunter Member, Committee on Armed Services INTRODUCTION OF THE ARTIST: Mark Martensen by General Terry Paul UNVEILING OF THE PORTRAIT: Mrs. Lynne Hunter and the Honorable Duncan D. Hunter REMARKS: The Honorable Duncan L. Hunter [ xiii ] Unveiling Ceremony of Portrait of THE HONORABLE DUNCAN L. HUNTER TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2009 U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES, Washington, DC. General PAUL. Ladies and gentlemen, can we have your attention, please? First of all, on behalf of the Hunter family, I want to recognize all those friends who traveled long distances to come here for this cher- ished event, and certainly for the senior officials, fellow Members of Congress, that are here—Mr. Hunter’s friends over the years, some of them. And we have senior officer military and senior civilian officials represented on the Armed Forces and dignitaries, et al. I would like to start by introducing my good friend, General Randy West. He will offer the invocation. He is a fellow Marine, retired at 35 years of service. And he thought about doing a career of it, but he is also a pastor of a Baptist church out in Loudoun County. As you would expect, Marines can do more than one thing. So, Randy, would you offer the invocation to us, please? INVOCATION BY GENERAL RANDY WEST General WEST. Let us pray. Our most gracious and loving Lord, we thank you this evening for this special event honoring the service of one of your sons to his fam- ily, his Nation and his God. We thank you for such a man as Duncan L. Hunter. We thank you for his 28-plus years of service in the U.S. Congress. We thank you for the wisdom that you granted him to make wise decisions as one of the highest leaders in our great Nation, as a Congressman and as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. We thank you that he had the resolve, the determination and the resolution to stand firm on those decisions and on the values and principles that we all hold dear. We thank you that because of his service, America is stronger and safer; our troops are better prepared, trained and equipped to meet the challenges of the future; our families have a better quality of life; [1] our wounded and disabled are better able to enjoy our parks and na- tional forests like everyone else; our factories and businesses make and sell more things that have the stamp Made in America; and all of us have better places to live, work and play.